Brainstorming My Ideal.

See, I'm a Religion major, and I have little idea how to approach forge a business in the economic sense (And geez, that's a really large part of it, huh? Uh-oh.)

BUUUT. I do like to think I know something about aesthetics and values, and how I want my future business to tangibly feel to people.

One night I wrote down 20 adjectives that I would want to describe my business. Then, I narrowed that down to five.

1. Honest. I mean this in all regards. I want people to get what they pay for; I want the ingredients to be top-notch. I want to feel good about my dealings with customers. I want to take breaks for me when I need to, and I don't want my employees to feel like they need to bend the truth to get time off when they need a little break, too.

2. Wholesome. This goes a lot with honesty, too. I want to use good ingredients and support local farmers. I want to make each scone and torte with a sort of simple diligence and delight in just how good it is: as cheesy as it sounds, I want things to be made out of a love for warming people's hearts (and tummies), not to snatch a profit or in an attempt to save time. It also means a lot to me to cater to various food allergies and restrictions. I would like to regularly offer both vegan and gluten-free selections that are just as appetizing as those full of milk and wheat.

3. Homely. I want my storefront to be cozy and comforting. Though I love minimalist design--and it would be absolutely striking in a bakery--I want my shop to be warm and inviting. At home, I am messy, and my design style is fairly eclectic. I imagine that, realistically, that's how my shop would turn out, too (though I'm working on the messiness part!) I want the experience of my shop to be truly enjoyable for many different types of people. I love the idea of having chalkboard walls or butcher paper and crayons for kids to draw with and enjoy themselves, and it is also important for me that the elderly and disabled feel comfortable in my shop, too.

4. Sustainable. Last semester, I lived and studied in Mérida, México, and I took a class in sustainability. Now, it's extremely important that my business is sustainable and environmentally-friendly. I want to create little waste, and have my business serve as an example to the community. I certainly will discuss this more in later posts!

5. Happy! I know a lot of this is me touting really, really high ideals. But! This one is really important. The vibe of the place needs to be happy and creative, joyous and welcoming. I mean, though parts of owning a small business will be really, really hard, I hope I always keep in mind how great it is create something that I love. I want to spread this love to my community, and them to get all sorts of yummy good vibrations in my shop, too.

Okay, okay. It's nearly 3 am now, and I think I can rest. My counselor would be proud of all this, I think.